Falling for Rayne: Book 1 in the Love and Flowers Trilogy

by Shannon Guymon

  Jane smiled, her eyes warming slightly. “Rayne, come on, you have to have girlfriends who can help you with this kind of thing.”

  Rayne licked some chocolate off her lip and crossed her legs. “I have a sister who has even less experience with men than I do and that’s saying a lot. I have a friend Cleo, but she’s such a confident, take charge person she doesn’t understand people like me who look at a good looking guy like Garrett and can’t talk and end up looking at their shoes or fidgeting or acting like they’re completely uninterested because they don’t know the first thing about flirting.”

  Jane groaned and took another bite of her cronut. “You know, you and Garrett have a lot in common. You’re both good at getting what you want.”

  Rayne grinned knowing she’d won. “So you’ll help me?”

  Jane nodded. “But only if you promise to never ever tell him that I did. Not for my sake. For yours.”

  Rayne nodded easily. “Of course. My lips are sealed. So what do you suggest?”

  Jane sighed loudly and crossed her ankles as she smoothed her apron over her stomach. “You’ve decided you want a cocky Marine and yet you’re a shy inexperienced girl. From what I remember of Garrett, he goes for the quiet, smart, shy girls. Just get to know him. If he’s working on your house, invite him for dinner. Go old school and create situations where you get to know him. That will help you with your shyness as well.”

  Rayne nodded her head. “Okay, that sounds good but what do I do about the fact that he always gets his way.”

  Jane stood up and grinned. “Stop letting him.”

  Rayne laughed lightly and picked up her garbage, throwing it away in the garbage can. “Jane, you are a genius. And for the advice and the introduction to the most amazing donuts in the world, I’d like to buy three dozen cronuts.”

  Jane’s eyebrows shot up. “Three dozen?”

  Rayne shrugged. “I have a crew of men at my house right now. Maybe it will put them in a good mood too?”

  Jane laughed and she and the other woman began boxing up the cronuts. “And I’d like a chocolate, peanut butter smoothie to go with it,” she added as an afterthought.

  Jane shook her head and rung her up. “I knew I liked you.”

  Rayne left smiling and feeling much better about the world and one landscaper in particular. Garrett Murphy didn’t know who he was messing with.

  Chapter 8 - Poison

  Rayne showed up with the boxes of cronuts and walked over to the landscaping crew who was taking all the branches and limbs from her Douglas-Fir and throwing them in the back of a large truck. Surprisingly, Garrett was still there, working with the crew.

  She decided to ignore him as she opened the boxes. “Hey guys, anyone need a cronut break?”

  Five men immediately walked over, taking off their gloves and grinning happily. “I have no idea what a cronut us, but I want one,” said a large black man with an earring and a bright gold tooth.

  She smiled and offered him a napkin. “You’re going to want two.”

  Becket walked over smiling cautiously. “Is this a peace offering?”

  Rayne’s smile froze as she studied the man through narrowed eyes. Maybe she should have eaten two cronuts, because a sizzle of anger was still slipping through her veins.

  “They could be poisoned,” she said with a wide smile.

  The man behind her choked on his donut and she turned around and winked at him. He smiled and relaxed immediately as he grinned at Becket.

  “Poisoned, huh?” Becket said and took a big bite.

  She frowned wishing for a moment that he would have at least hesitated. She was the most nonthreatening woman there was. She was slightly mortified.

  “Maybe not, but if you cut down anything else I love, I will,” she said with a glare.

  She watched as his eyes widened in surprise and he looked at the cronut suspiciously. She couldn’t stop the grin that slipped out.

  “Threatening my guys with death?”

  Rayne slowly turned around and flipped her long caramel brown hair over her shoulder as she stared at Garrett and wondered how she had ever found him attractive. Really, he wasn’t great. Sure he was over six feet tall and had the shoulders of a football player. Or a Marine. Whatever. So what that she dreamed of his lips and running her hands over his chiseled face. Nah, his eyes weren’t that great. Okay, they could gleam, or twinkle or freeze you depending on his mood. It wasn’t like she cared.

  She licked her lips and looked at her feet. Like she always did around him. Who was she fooling? She had fallen for this guy but she was done being mowed over by him.

  “I brought some cronuts for your men. Working for you, I’m sure they don’t get very many treats. They probably wake up every day wondering how they can even go on. Being bullied must get old after a while,” she said coolly.

  Garrett raised an eyebrow as some of the men laughed and Becket let out a low whistle. “You’re accusing me of being a bully?”

  Rayne turned away from him and picked up a cronut. She’d need a little extra happy. “Stating a fact. You. Are. A. Bully,” she said and turned on her heel and walked back to the house.

  As she reached the front porch she felt a hand grasp her elbow and pull her to a stop. She turned with a frown and looked up into Garrett’s frowning face.

  “Look Rayne, I’m sorry about the tree, but that doesn’t make me a bully. I’m just doing what’s best.”

  Rayne frowned and pulled her arm out of Garrett’s grasp as she heard the front door open and two sets of footsteps sounded on the aged wood.

  She took a large bite of the cronut first and licked her lips. “You’re bossy and you don’t listen to me. I’ll be happy to give you a glowing review for your website when you’re done but I’ll probably have to put a footnote. I’ll say something like, Great Landscaper. The owner has vision, and skill and talent but please don’t have an opinion that differs from his because he’ll steamroll right over you,” she said with her chin in the air as Cleo snorted loudly behind her.

  Garrett turned red in the face and shoved his hands in his front pockets. She turned and looked at her tree that was half gone now and sighed.

  “No cronuts for you,” she said and took another big bite before turning and walking up a few steps.

  “What if I said I’m sorry?”

  Rayne looked into Ivy and Cleo’s delighted faces before turning slowly around and staring at Garrett who strangely enough looked almost contrite.

  “Sorry? For what? For destroying my grandmother’s tree? For never letting me get my way?”

  Garrett licked his lips as if he was trying not to smile and her eyes narrowed. “What if I said that I’m so sorry about this little misunderstanding that I’d like to take you out to dinner tonight?”

  Rayne blinked in surprise and felt her heart catch in her chest. “Wait, are you asking me out on a date?” she asked softly, wishing her sister and Cleo weren’t right there listening in to their conversation.

  Garrett took a step toward her, bringing their faces to the same level. “I’m almost positive I am.”

  She grinned slightly and noticed that Garrett’s eyes were bright blue with a lighter blue ring surrounded by black. Amazing. Oh wait, was she supposed to be talking?

  “Why almost?” she asked, her voice cracking.

  The side of Garrett’s mouth twitched and he stepped even closer. “Well, you did just threaten to poisons us. I’d have to have your promise not to poison any cronuts before we went out.”

  Rayne sighed loudly. “Darn, looks like we’ll never go out then, because that I can’t promise.”

  Garrett laughed and reached out and grabbed her free hand in his. “Fine, I’ll take my chances. Pick you up at seven?”

  Rayne stared into Garrett’s eyes and lost the power of speech so she just nodded and made some kind of uh huh sound instead.

  Garrett smiled bigger and turned and walked away, holding her cronut in his hand. She watched him take a
big bite and knew her mouth was hanging open.

  “He just stole my cronut,” she whispered.

  Ivy walked down the steps and stood next to her. “You couldn’t pay me to flirt with that guy. Sorry. He’s totally in to you. If he’s brave enough to steal your cronut, that’s a man brave enough to face down the immenseness of your life.”

  Cleo walked down and stood next to her on her other side. “Don’t worry, I’ll still flirt with him.”

  Rayne grinned at her friend and put an arm around her waist. “You’re a true friend Cleo. And Ivy, you’re sweet.”

  Ivy caught site of Becket and perked up. “Any more cronuts left?” she asked as she stepped down to the crumbling concrete sidewalk.

  Rayne nodded. “I bought three dozen so there should be one or two left. But you better hurry.”

  She felt a breeze and watched as Cleo flew past her and raced Ivy to the boxes of cronuts sitting on the hood of Garrett’s truck. She laughed lightly and then hurried inside, feeling lighter than she had in months.

  She had a date.

  Chapter 9 – The Date

  Rayne checked herself in the mirror for the hundredth time and covered her stomach with her hands. She’d never once been nervous to go out on a date but now her stomach was jumping like crazy. And the cause was Garrett Murphy. In her defense, she’d really only dated Liam and there had never once been a spark of anything but the mildest feelings of friendship between them. While it had been comfortable and easy, it hadn’t been remotely exciting.

  She breathed in and out a few times trying to calm herself and then turned away from the mirror and walked downstairs, feeling the swish of her double layer chiffon skirt she had bought on her last trip to New York. When she moved, the black chiffon revealed the ruby red of the next layer. She pulled down her simple red silk tee and paused at the last step.

  Cleo and Ivy were standing in front of the door with a camera.

  “Oh no you don’t,” she said pointing at the two evil twins. “If you embarrass me I will reign down terror on you both for the rest of your lives.”

  Cleo laughed and pointed to Ivy. “Don’t blame me. She’s insisting.”

  Ivy twirled a strand of pink hair and grinned at her innocently. “It’s your first real date, Rayne. Come on, we have to add it to your baby book.”

  Rayne glared at her sister and swept past them into the living room. “You know very well this isn’t my first date and no. Don’t you dare.”

  Ivy frowned and sat opposite of her in a large wing back chair that was probably a hundred years old. “You can’t count Liam taking you anywhere as a date. He was just a glorified escort who never once made you laugh or your toes curl.”

  Rayne winced and let her head lean back against the couch. “Still, I’ve dated. Now no pictures or things will get ugly.”

  Cleo stood up and stretched out into warrior’s pose. “You mean you’ll poison our cronuts too?”

  Rayne’s mouth fell open and she threw a pillow at Cleo. “Mocking me? So rude. Can’t you tell I’m so nervous I’m practically hyperventilating?”

  Ivy smiled and stood up, walking over and giving her sister a brief but hard hug. “So cute. That’s when you know it’s real dummy. Enjoy the butterflies. Enjoy the nervousness and the sweaty hands and everything else. Because it means you’re alive. You’re feeling this and experiencing the moment. It’s not like you’re with Liam and all you can think about is your schedule the next day. For once in your life, all of your attention, every single one of your cells will be focused on this one man. Enjoy that.”

  Rayne grinned at her sister and nodded her head. “You’re right. I do feel alive. I feel so alive I bet I could power a small generator. I’ve changed my mind. Take pictures. Not when Garrett is looking, but as long as you’re sneaky, go for it.”

  Ivy let out a whoop and Cleo went into crane position. “I will hold this pose for one minute in honor of your very alive cells.”

  The doorbell sounded and Rayne gasped, leaping up and gripping her sister’s shoulders tightly.

  “Do I look okay?” she begged, worried that something was out of place.

  Ivy smiled warmly and shook her head. “You look just like you. Beautiful, kind and ready to live.”

  Rayne smiled at that and pushed Cleo over, sending her sprawling on her side as she walked to the entry. She looked back at Ivy and Cleo one more time and took in a deep breath before opening the door.

  Garrett was standing there, in a sophisticated gray suit with a very subtle pin stripe. Unlike the suits most of the men she knew wore, this one was fitted to Garrett’s slim but muscular form and for once in her life, Rayne was speechless. She could only stand there and stare at him.

  Garrett remained quiet too, looking at her with a serious smile on his face as his eyes watched her. Ivy cleared her throat and pushed past her.

  “Well don’t you look handsome!” she said loudly, bumping her in the shoulder lightly in an attempt to break her out of her fog.

  Garrett looked away from her and smiled at Ivy. “Thanks. What’s with the camera?”

  Rayne bit her lip and glanced at Ivy as Cleo walked out and slung an arm around her shoulders.

  “I need proof that my sister is actually going on a date. It’s for scientific purposes. No worries,” she said smoothly as Cleo gently turned her and pushed her toward Garrett who looked stunned.

  She felt him put his hand on her waist as if they were going to prom and blushed. “Sorry,” she muttered as Ivy took about four pictures.

  “Okay you two, have fun but not too much fun if you know what I mean,” she said and then winked at them before pulling Cleo back into the house and slamming the door.

  Garrett blinked in surprise and then turned and looked at her. “Scientific purposes. I’ll have to remember that one next time I want to get away with something.”

  Rayne sighed and then winced as the light from a flash went off in the living room window. She grabbed Garrett’s hand and pulled him down the steps. “Let’s just get out of here.”

  Instead of letting go of her hand, Garrett kept a firm hold of her and even opened the door for her. Rayne almost giggled, not used to the old fashioned gesture. Liam had been an acclaimed feminist and refused to do anything for her that she could do for herself. Which was pretty much everything.

  “Sorry I just have a truck. When I bought it I didn’t know I’d be picking up a date wearing a skirt like yours. Here, let me just help you up,” he said and put both hands on the side of her waist and just lifted her up.

  She grabbed the handle and pulled herself inside, turning bright red and laughing nervously. “How can you just lift me up like that?” she asked breathlessly.

  Garrett lifted up part of her skirt and tucked it in, as he smiled at her. “Practice,” he said and shut the door before hurrying around to the other side.

  He drove her into Tacoma to a restaurant called El Gaucho. “I hope you like it. Becket swears it’s the best, so we’ll blame him if you’re unhappy.”

  Rayne grinned and took his hand as she hopped down onto the pavement. “I’m sure I’ll love it. I’m starving,” she added, noting it was true. She’d been too nervous to eat thinking about being with him.

  He opened the door for her and they walked into a dimly lit, sophisticated interior. She could hear live music playing in the background while a hostess checked Garrett’s reservation. She immediately led them back to an intimate table by the window. He held her chair out for her and she sat down, noting that his fingers touched her arm briefly.

  She glanced around and noticed a few people were staring at them and wondered what it would be like to date someone like Garrett for real. Women would stare everywhere they went. It would probably get old after a while.

  “Don’t look now but there’s a couple who keeps staring at you,” Garrett said as he picked up his menu.

  Rayne shook her head and smiled as she picked up her menu. “As if. They’re staring at you and you
know it. False modesty is so endearing.”

  Garrett grinned at her and shook his head. “You think they’re staring at me? Why?”

  Rayne flicked her hair over her shoulders and shrugged as a smile played around her mouth. “Well, looking like you do, you must get this kind of reaction wherever you go.”

  Garrett looked stunned and laughed lightly as he shook his head. “Sweetheart, you need your eyes checked,” he said softly as two people in their mid-forties approached their table.

  Rayne looked up in surprise as the man bowed his head in her direction. He wore a conservative but expensive suit and his wife was similarly dressed and wore pearls at her neck.

  “We’re so sorry to interrupt you, but my wife and I saw you play in London two years ago and it was one of the most incredible evenings of our lives. We were so moved we were both brought to tears. We won’t ask for your autograph, but we just wanted you to know we’re big music lovers and you’re our favorite concert pianist of all time.”

  Rayne smiled warmly at the couple and asked their names and chatted with them for a few minutes before they walked away. When she turned back to Garrett she sighed in disappointment.

  “Why the sad face? Just because I was right and you were wrong?” Garrett asked softly.

  Rayne took a sip of water and shook her head. “No, that’s not it. I just wanted so much for you and I to get to know each other without anything getting in the way. Like my real life. I just wanted to know what it would feel like to be a regular girl, liking a regular boy,” she said quietly.

  Garrett frowned and reached across the table and took her hand, rubbing his thumb over the back in a soothing caress. “So you know how to play the piano. Why would that affect the fact that I find you attractive and would like to get to know you better and that you obviously find me very attractive.”

  Rayne let out a surprised laugh and grinned at Garrett as he smiled back at her. “Because it’s a little more than knowing how to play the piano. I was a professional concert pianist for five years. I retired right after my parents died so I could be with Ivy and deal with everything else going on. But my life, my real life, is kind of unreal. It makes getting to know people and forming relationships kind of impossible.”